WSJ: E-Book Sales Fall After New Amazon Contracts

[tompe]

I like to support authors and for an authors the most important sales period is the first three months so I always buy a book I want to read directly when it is published.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by tompe

I like to support authors and for an authors the most important sales period is the first three months so I always buy a book I want to read directly when it is published.

Actually, if you were really serious about supporting authors. You should probably preorder their books you want to read. Buying when it's published is often too late for many authors in this day and age.

EDIT: Why are my emphasized ("really" and "preorder") words not rendering?
EDIT2: I believe my browser has issues rendering forum content right now

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Someone way up thread said that Amazon didn't like 99 cent books. It took me two days but I finally figured out how to show Amazon makes a bigger profit off that split.
I might have been off on my "selling twice as many 99 cent books", if the voracious readers I know are any indication, they probably sell 4 to 5 times as many.
So that was just an example.

Sorry.

So, would you terribly mind explaining it all again, and this time I will look at it from Amazon's perspective.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Actually, if you were really serious about supporting authors. You should probably preorder their books you want to read. Buying when it's published is often too late for many authors in this day and age.

EDIT: Why are my emphasized ("really" and "preorder") words not rendering?
EDIT2: I believe my browser has issues rendering forum content right now

Yes, I pre-order also but inside 3 months is not to late. The sale statistics for that period is used for a lot of decisions. I am now talking about traditionally published authors which in principle is all the authors I buy.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I buy 50-60 books a year (which equals about how much I read in a year, BTW). I buy a book when I'm ready to read that book. Whether it's the latest from a favorite author, or something from an author who's vying to be one of my favorites. If those books happen to be on sale--so be it. But I don't go looking for discounts. Mostly because I rarely buy them in advance of being ready to read them.

Ebooks have completely converted me into employing a JIT inventory technique. My "shopping for books" consists of online perusing and then adding ones that interest me to a virtual TBR list--with no consideration whatsoever for price at that time. When I look through my virtual list and decide it's time to read a certain book. I buy it and do so. If that ebook is creeping into the $18 range and beyond; it better be by one of my favorite authors. But I'm cool with taking a chance on an unknown at $10-$16 for a new book if it looks interesting (and the sample chapter doesn't scream "amateur").

I have just enough time to look for interesting books and to read interesting books. I can't spare the time to look for interesting books that also meet an arbitrary price ceiling. That's one too many variables. And I really was told there'd be no math.

I'm with DD on the 50 books a year, but the complete opposite on purchases as I tend to just buy in sales (pretty much just bought bundles I liked the look of this year so far). Got a few years of backlog to get through and if I run out I can just get some old backlist stuff from sf gateway
Probably spent about £50 so far this year, which would of been a couple of months spend pre-ebook
I don't even look for sales, just from reading whatever mail lists I seem to be on.

[pdurrant]

I'm the founding member of the Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread. I'm trying to keep my purchases below £300 this year. So far I'm on target. And only 181 ebooks bought so far this year....

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm the founding member of the Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread. I'm trying to keep my purchases below £300 this year. So far I'm on target. And only 181 ebooks bought so far this year....

I spent fifty-four dollars and five cents on ebooks in the last month. Mostly on two to seven dollar offerings and some ninety-nine cent Novela serials.
I haven't finished eight of them, so maybe the I can bring my book spending down over the next thirty days.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Sorry.

So, would you terribly mind explaining it all again, and this time I will look at it from Amazon's perspective.

I'm sorry, I don't know how to mind, terribly or otherwise. Now, I will be nice to the green one and quit doing that 4 letter word.

The 4 letter word is m a t h.

[DiapDealer]

I was told there would be no math.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I'm sorry, I don't know how to mind, terribly or otherwise. Now, I will be nice to the green one and quit doing that 4 letter word.

The 4 letter word is m a t h.

No seriously, Amazon does not want $0.99 books and discourages it. The simple fact that they punish the publisher shows this. Just like they punish the publisher by going too high in price - by taking a higher percentage for themselves as well.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

No seriously, Amazon does not want $0.99 books and discourages it. The simple fact that they punish the publisher shows this. Just like they punish the publisher by going too high in price - by taking a higher percentage for themselves as well.

I do not understand this. Amazon themselves set the lowest price at 99 cents. If they did not want that price point, they could have set it higher.
Now other point, if one prices at the 70% royalty, there is a delivery fee.
I have read about the price points and Amazon makes it sound like you get more benefits if you take the 35% royalty. So Amazon is not discouraging because they make more money.
Also on Select, they make it sound very attractive.
The only way they would be punishing the publishers is if they told the publishers your book must be priced x.
Please do not say Amazon does something when the other person has a choice.
They do not discourage and they do not punish.
Amazon is doing what is best for their business.
Authors should do what is best for their business and not say well big company punishes some for pricing.

Now I have said this before but if an author does not like Amazon's practices, why are they paying Amazon to distribute their books?

See Amazon does not pay authors. Authors actually pay Amazon for distribution.

Same idea with trad publishing.

[DuckieTigger]

Authors do not pay Amazon for distribution, they are selling their books to Amazon. Amazon pays the author and takes a comission. The author needs no money to pay Amazon, it is the other way around of who pays whom. Amazon is a gigantic consignment shop, both virtual (digital) and physical products.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Authors do not pay Amazon for distribution, they are selling their books to Amazon. Amazon pays the author and takes a comission. The author needs no money to pay Amazon, it is the other way around of who pays whom. Amazon is a gigantic consignment shop, both virtual (digital) and physical products.

I will use your example and note this part will be for ebooks only.
Yes, but even then if one doesn't like Amazon's terms, why are they giving Amazon a commission.
Either way, we slice this Amazon gets 30 or 65% percent of what an author sells there.
The person could set up their own shop and keep 100% of what the ebook brings in.
So yes, the author is giving Amazon money. It is just Amazon takes in the money, then gives the seller their portion.
Note, it is not like Amazon is the only way to sell an ebook.

Though I will agree that Amazon does take advantage of those authors that don't read the fine print or realize what some words mean in context.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Note, it is not like Amazon is the only way to sell an ebook.

No it's not, but it's the #1 channel for almost all eBook sales. Few are going to get the sales numbers they get through Amazon on their own (or through other stores for that matter).

[dickloraine]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Let's say someone offered to give you 65% on every 99 cent item they sold or 30% of every 2.99 item they sell. Where will you make more money?
One little detail, they sell twice as many at 99 cents.
So which has more profit?

You do realize that amazon does it exactly the other way around? They give you only 35% if you sell for 99 cents and 70% if you sell in the comfort prizing zone? That is punishing to low prices. I think you earn more, if someone reads the 99 cent book in KU.